Finding The Fairy Forest in the Uinta mountains

While looking for family-friendly hikes in Utah’s Uinta mountains, I heard about a place called The Fairy Forest. It sounded intriguing, so I Googled it and came away discouraged. It seems like people who know where it is don’t want other people to know how to get there–one site wanted $35 for the information, and people posting on hiking forums make allusions to the Fairy Forest without being willing to publicly share how to get there.

So I’m going to change all that. I had to ask two park services employees, drive around a bit, and hack our way through underbrush, but my family and I found the Fairy Forest at last, and my kids were delighted. Since I think it’s dumb for people to hoard information, I’m going to tell you how to get there in hopes that Google will help more families enjoy the Fairy Forest.

GPS Coordinates to The Fairy Forest in Utah’s Uinta mountains

According to my Garmin, here are the GPS coordinates to the entrance into The Fairy Forest in the Uinta mountains:

The Fairy Forest GPS coordinates: N 40º35.404′ W 111º00.797′

Finding the Fairy Forest is a little tricky, even with the coordinates. You want to park at Shady Dell Campground, which is about 17 miles outside of Kamas on the Mirror Lake Highway. Walk through campsite 6 and walk down to the river, where you’ll find a dead tree spanning the river. Cross the river on the log (your kids will love being afraid of the crossing) and then make your way south to the grove of trees surrounded by a natural field of stones. It’s only about 75 yards from the river–unless, like me, you wander around without knowing what you’re looking for.

Hopefully Google helped you find this page, so you can go enjoy The Fairy Forest with your family. Make a creative contribution and help make it even better!

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